angel fall
by Picup
Summary: (Sunshine! AU) Heaven is a place full of intricate rules and established hierarchies that all Angels absolutely follows. One particular Angel believes that rules are meant to be bent to their liking and does so much to the frustration of her superiors. However, there is one rule that must be always followed. Falling in Love is a Sin, and Sin is subjected to Death.
1. 01

A/N: Inspired by a YohaRiko fan art by chichan54 on tumblr, I ended up creating a ll! ss! AU involving Angels and Demons.

I have no idea what I am involving myself into, but here we go...

Thank you to berryargento for letting me bounce ideas and helping out with the AU! (she also suggested the title because I suck at titles)

* * *

 _Yoshiko (or Yohane, as she demands to be called) is just a step above being at the bottom of the Hierarchy but instead of doing actual work, she decides to play pranks most of the time. Her superior eventually pushes a job onto her and sends her off to Numazu City in hopes that her potential doesn't go to waste._

* * *

A cackle escapes from the shadows of the dark armory as a blue-haired angel shuffles around the tight area, being mindful of not knocking down any of the hanging weapons. There's a mischievous gleam to her magenta eyes as she holds a bottle containing a clear adhesive (Hanamaru used it to fix any of her books if they were somehow damaged, she wouldn't notice if the bottle was missing, right?), carefully applying it along wooden poles and handles.

"Uuuu... I-I don't know if this is a good idea, Yoshiko-chan-"

She feels green eyes staring meekly at her and hears a small whisper-she glares at the green eyes, narrowing at the name 'Yoshiko'. The girl whimpers, "Y-Y-Yohane..."

Yoshiko nods her head in approval before she points outside with her freehand, "Go back to keeping watch, Ruby!" She hisses quickly, "If we get caught then everything to this point will be for nothing!"

Another whimper comes from Ruby, and Yoshiko hears something along the lines of 'I-I just hope Big Sis won't be super mad..." before she turns around to peer outside the wooden door. Yoshiko notices Ruby's small, white wings beating nervously and she nearly laughs-this was all for fun, why is she nervous?

Ah, then again, if Dia did find out, she would probably send the both of them to the depths of Hell and back as punishment.

It takes another ten minutes and a few close calls (the people who come by are just walking to the courtyard thankfully), and Yoshiko glides to Ruby's side before planting her sandals on the ground and holds her head up high. "This'll cause a big one." She cackles again, before slapping Ruby's shoulder, "C'mon, let's go, I can't wait to see the look on Dia's face!"

With no one around, Yoshiko takes two leaps forward before unfurling and batting her white wings to take off to find a safe spot above. She hears Ruby do the same, although not as prideful as she was.

A wicked smile spreads on Yoshiko's face as they hide away on a cloud that overshadows the armory. Dia is going to be in for a surprise today...

* * *

New Angels at the bottom of the Hierarchy have the most common schedule. In the morning they will participate in lectures and studies that involve the many rules of Heaven and their job to protect humans from beings of the Underworld. In the afternoon they participate in several of survival training exercises.

All Angels have gone through these mundane lessons before, so to Yoshiko, knowing which day they are doing combat training is easy. And to make it even better, her superior-the Angel that directly watches her (her mentor she supposes), is head of combat training.

A squeal escapes one of the angels that just went into the armory where Heaven's practice weapons is stored. She comes flailing out, knocking over a couple of other recruits who rushed earlier at her scream. White wings are spread out, but there's a few wooden polearms stuck in the confines of the feathers.

Yoshiko giggles, her own wings spreading out in glorious freedom and amusement, as she watches the chaos slowly spread. From next to her, she hears a small pitiful whimper from Ruby, a small 'the poor girl...' leaving her mouth.

She pointedly ignores her, enjoying the show as more and more curious recruits show up. Some try to help the first victim but others go into the armory, before leaving with their own curses and exclamations as more weapons are glued to parts of themselves.

The blue-haired Angel above tries not to fall off the cloud and give away her position. A loud, commanding voice booms below and magenta eyes peer over the cloud, instantly lighting up as she sees a familiar, black-haired Angel carefully glide into the area-demanding to know what is happening.

At Dia's strict voice, Ruby can't handle watching anymore and instantly shoots up into the sky above. She hastily tells Yoshiko she's going to try and find Hanamaru and give her back her glue. The small angel flies away faster than Yoshiko has ever seen her.

She blinks though, noticing that Ruby completely forgot the glue next to her, and snickers, before going back to the show below. She's almost rolling on the cloud in laughter as she watches Dia try to rip a spear that is caught in one of the wings of a recruit.

Knowing that Dia probably can sense her from below, she slowly pushes herself upwards and beats her wings. She flies away from the chaos, humming a dark playful tune to herself.

Yoshiko gets a message later on, from one of Dia's right-hand, her 'champion' as she playfully calls herself that Dia wants to see her in her office immediately.

* * *

Yoshiko's laughter rings throughout the small office as she leans back in the arm chair, dangling her legs off of the side (she dared not throw her feet on top of the desk in front of her, the multiple bruises on her calves is still healing). "You should have seen the look on your face, Dia!"

She continues to rag on about the angry look on Dia's face earlier that day. Of course she would never admit that she was the one who applied the glue to all the weapons. Yoshiko can see Dia's brow twitch and small movements from her folded white wings, as they also twitch at her annoyance.

"Yoshiko-san, do you understand how much trouble you caused?" Dia's voice is steady but from the way she bit the bottom of her lip gently, she's trying to mask the anger. Yoshiko knows how to push her buttons as she laughs and stretches out in the arm chair.

"I'm not even sure what you're getting at. I, Yohane, just happened to be passing by, when I saw you trying to untangle a pair of new recruits from some clear adhesive that was stuck to their equipment." She explains, tilting her head back to stop herself from laughing any further.

"You can't say it was me!"

"You're the only one who does this!"

It's the first reaction Yoshiko gets out of Dia in a long time, and she's trying to hide the smirk that wants to break out on her face. Yoshiko finally shrugs, "I have no idea what you're talking about. You mistaken me, Dia." She places a hand on her chest, "My luck is terrible, everything that involves me is because of this horrible luck."

A low groan escapes Dia's lips as green eyes narrow at her, "The fact that such a talented angel has only gone up one rank from the bottom, is because of this horrible luck of yours, yes?"

"See, see!" Yoshiko's enthusiasm leaps through as she pushes her upper body upwards to lean closer to Dia. "You understand!"

"Then maybe you can finally turn that luck of yours around in this next assignment." Dia promptly cuts her off, shoving a folder in the face of her young angel. "Mari-san gave this to me earlier today and insisted that it will be a good mission for you to show how talented you are and to finally get you further up the hierarchy. Hanamaru and even that bumbling sister of mine has passed you and you all started..."

Yoshiko takes the folder with a small grumble as she starts to flip through the files inside, tuning out of Dia's rant. She seems to always go through one of these at least once a day-especially if it involved Ruby. She mentally notes not to tell Dia that Ruby was with her earlier.

The job seemed like a simple watch job. There's been sightings and signs of demons from the Underworld in a seaside town called Numazu City and the Angels above wished for someone to be there to prevent it from getting out of hand. She slowly nods her head as she swings herself out of the chair, "Sure, sure, I'll do this." She waves the file to get Dia's attention.

Dia blinks, coughing into her palm to straighten herself out. "Very well. Prepare yourself for a long mission, you will not be back for a while unless it is urgent. Meet Mari-san at the gates to receive your things before taking off."

The younger angel turns on her heel, wings lazily flapping back and forth to stretch themselves out from being cramped in the chair for too long. "Hey Dia." She tilts her head backwards to see her superior in the corner of her eye, "Maybe you should teach the recruits next time to be more aware of their surroundings." She dashes out of the office, grinning at the angry retort that is lost behind her.

* * *

It doesn't take long for Yoshiko to gather her things for her job below. She doesn't need a lot as most things are provided in the apartment she would be staying in. When she arrives at the gate that serves as the entrance and exit to Heaven, a blonde Angel is standing nearby, white wings unfurled behind her, stretching wide.

"Oi, Mari!" Yoshiko calls as she waves to the blonde and glides down next to her. Mari-Dia's 'champion' as she calls herself (the other Angels also call her that, but Dia herself remains oblivious to this name), smiles, waving back and holds up a small, leather bounded folder.

"Yohane~ I heard you caused quite the ruckus today." She greets as she hands Yoshiko the folder. Yoshiko laughs in response, "I have no idea what you're saying, I, Yohane, would never do such a thing!" She puffs out her chest, but winks teasingly.

Mari giggles as she gestures to her folder in her free hand. "Anyway, make sure not to lose that folder. It would be bad if our precious Yohane is left on the street for the wolves to eat~"

Yoshiko snorts, "I can handle a few demon pups, easy." She flicks her hair. "Any other suggestions before I leave, Mom?"

"Hmmm..." Mari leans in, making Yoshiko blink in surprise at the sudden closeness, feeling a bit nervous at the small smirk that's on her lips. "Make sure not to fall in love!" A finger flicks her forehead playfully and Yoshiko stumbles back with a loud yelp.

She rubs the spot on her forehead in annoyance as Mari giggles at her, "Love between a human is forbidden after all!" She exclaims, pausing only for a second before gasping exaggeratedly. "It would even be more scandalous if it was a demon!"

At that statement, Yoshiko rolls her eyes and snorts, "Me fall in love? Don't be silly Mari," she waves her hand dismissively at her as she gathers her things now, "I, Yohane, anger the God all the time, but to Sin? That's funny." She waves her off and turns around to descend to the Earth below.

"Wish me luck!"

"Good luck~"

In the back of her mind, Yoshiko knows that luck is never on her side.

* * *

Yoshiko rummages through the documents that Mari gave her in the small leather bounded folder. It contained several of things that has to do with her being a human since she would have to fit in during her stay in Numazu City. This included the location of the apartment she would be staying at, some money and cards for living expenses, and her ID.

Her eyes scrutinize the characters that is written on her ID card, and she huffs. "She wrote the WRONG name!" She loudly proclaims, and fumbles for a marker that she learned to carry with her in her pocket. Marking a large 'X' over 'Yoshiko' and scribbling in the characters 'Yohane'.

With a triumphant smirk, she pockets the ID and continues down the street to her apartment, and her new home for the next while.


	2. 02

A/N: Thank you for all the kind words, follows and favourites! I've read the reviews and am excited as everyone else on where the story is going to go!

It's a bit slow in the beginning, but I hope that next chapter will have a lot more progression (and a lot more YohaRiko hahaha).

on tumblr, berryargento has started a series, angel rain, that takes place in the same universe but centers around Dia and Mari. Please give it a read as it tells a different story that happens at the same time between the two, higher up Angels! Both of our stories will also end up referencing each other and implying certain things that may happen (aha cryptic picup what you talking about). If you need a better direction on where to find it, please feel free to message me.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I look forward to seeing you next time! Thank you for your support!

* * *

 _Riko was enthusiastic when she was told that she's special. However, an incident occurs and she comes to spite the word, special. Now she's just a plain, ordinary girl who moved from Akihabara to Uchiura._

* * *

As a small child, Sakurauchi Riko was left in the care of her Grandmother, who taught Riko a lot of the things that she enjoys. In between all the music lessons and practice that her Mother would take her, her Grandmother taught her the basics in other things like arts and cooking.

But what Riko really enjoyed with her Grandmother is the Storytime sessions they spend together. She would always tell Riko of 'other beings' that are a part of this world under the human eye. From the dark, jaw snapping Hell hounds, to the divine Angels with wings that were pure as snow, to the trickster like Demons that have a very human like appearance...

To any grown person, these stories are trivial and are only seen in anime and video games, but to Riko, they were fun and entertaining. Her Grandmother always reminded her that they're not just fictional things, but they are real. And Riko is a very _special_ person, who can see these things, it will just take time and a pinch of luck to find one. This made Riko very enthusiastic and she hoped that one day she would see something that is only heard of in anime and games.

* * *

It's announced that a new student is transferring into Riko's Elementary class.

Hush voices fly around the classroom—it's so weird for a student to transfer in the middle of the semester! Riko wonders why the sudden transfer for the new student. Maybe their parents had a sudden job transfer? Or they were taken out of their old school? Or maybe...

As soon as the students hear the door open, they all immediately rush to their seats—some bouncing and twitching slightly in excitement. The teacher explains to them about the new transfer student and for them to treat the new student well before calling for the said student to come in. The door opens again, and a young boy with short, black hair and ruby red eyes enters. Everyone smiles and waves, welcoming their new friend.

Riko, however, is lost to the white wings that meekly flap back and forth anxiously. She's only heard of the stories that her Grandmother indulges her with—of divine beings—Angels with pure, white wings that task themselves of protecting humans from the demons of the Underworld. To see one in real life is astounding. She quickly glances around, noticing that the other students are busy welcoming him to the class. She barely catches his name—Yazawa Cotaro.

The name didn't sound very angelic. Was she seeing things?

When Cotaro takes the empty seat next to her, his wings fold up behind his back, still twitching nervously. No one has mentioned anything about his wings, and Riko recalls the many times that her Grandmother says that she's _special_.

A smile spreads on her face as she pulls out her notebook for the first lesson that their Teacher is going to go through. Maybe it was her lucky day that she would finally meet someone of the 'other world'.

* * *

Since Cotaro's enrollment in her class, nothing out of the ordinary took place. Cotaro seemed very normal and very human. He is the youngest child in his family and his favourite things to do other than the usual games that boys always like is to eat his oldest sister's cooking.

Even though they sit next to each other, they never interact much. Riko, however, notices that no one ever brings up his wings. It's as if they didn't exist at all. Maybe she really is the only one who could see them—or maybe she is imagining things...

During break time in their school schedule, if the day is nice out, Riko finds herself underneath one of the many trees in their school courtyard, doodling in her giant sketchbook that she got for her Birthday. With the end of the semester coming around, the weather is a lot nicer, and Riko already gets a head start in her drawing.

"Oh, Riko-chan, Sensei wanted to see you after recess!"

Cotaro calls to her and Riko shyly looks up from her sketchbook at his voice. Their eyes meet, but hers always go past him—to the white wings that gently move back and forth playfully with the spring breeze. She's entranced by their movement and almost misses when Cotaro calls her again, "Riko-chan?"

"A-Ah!" Her sketchbook falls out of her grasp and she's flailing to get it back on her lap. She stares up at the young Angel with a slight blush on her face. "I-I'm sorry, Co-Cotaro-kun..."

The wings behind Cotaro flaps a little and he offers her a small smile. "It's okay! I'll see you around, Riko-chan." He turns around to go back inside. The wings outstretch themselves that they're just within grabbing distance... "C-Cotaro-kun!"

Riko is up on her feet as Cotaro turns around again, blinking. "Riko-chan?"

"A-Are they real?"

Cotaro's head tilts in confusion and he turns around, wings flapping back and forth—it's just about in her grasp again. "What's real? I-Is there something on my back?!" He asks, suddenly worried that there is a bug or something on him. Unsure of how to explain herself some more, Riko moves forward, her hand latching onto a part of his left wing.

He yelps at her tug and she immediately lets go with a quick 'I'm sorry!' Her face has a horrified expression—they were _real_ , she could feel the smooth, feathery texture of the feathers underneath her grasp. Cotaro's wings flap back and forth furiously as he stares at her with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Y-You can see them?" His voice is quiet, not wanting any others hearing about their conversation. Riko nods meekly.

The wings twitch a little and furl back into the small of his back, trying to hide away from her eyesight. "I-I-I'm sorry for bothering you." He whispers quickly, and suddenly dashes off in the opposite direction.

Riko's sketchbook drops to the ground and she stands there, watching the small Angel run away—although in her eyes, it looked like he was almost _gliding_.

* * *

For the remainder of the semester, Cotaro avoids Riko like the plague.

He only communicates with her if he is forced to, but even then, it's just small mumbles. This garners attention from their classmates, and many times, people will ask Riko what she did to Cotaro. Riko is confused on why everyone asked _her_ and she finds out from one of her friends is that someone from their class saw Cotaro running away from her.

Her lack of a response or an explanation makes them all believe that she did something to Cotaro.

How can she respond though? How many people would believe her if she said that Cotaro was an Angel?

Every day she has to deal with those harsh words that go around class—it's a new story almost every day. It ranges from Riko doing something bad to Cotaro, to her rejecting his feelings... Cotaro seems to ignore it all, always nervously laughing it off. He never looks at Riko though.

And his wings don't move as much anymore, knowing that she can see them.

The long, school days pass by slowly for Riko now. She finds herself an outsider in her class and eventually she spends most of the time eating and doodling underneath the tree, where this incident sort-of started. Inspiration is hard to come by though, and Riko finds herself clutching desperately onto the book, wishing it all to end.

* * *

As fast as Cotaro transferred into their school, he leaves at the end of the School year. The other students at this point don't blame Cotaro, Riko did something to him after all and he needed to get away.

No one knows the truth except for the two of them, but Riko can never voice her opinion.

On the last day of school, Riko sees Cotaro one last time. He's in the arms of an older woman with black hair drawn into two pigtails—she recognizes her as his eldest sister that he described vibrantly. He notices her staring at them and hides himself away, digging his head into her arms. The woman gently comforts him and nods over at Riko-almost looking apologetic.

Riko lowers her head shyly and notices the white wings that are behind the woman. So she also was...

"Sakurauchi Riko-chan, right?"

A new voice chimes in, and Riko nearly jumps when a hand clasps her shoulder gently. She tilts her head up, her golden eyes meeting with emerald. It's another woman with long, purple hair drawn in loose pigtails. Riko immediately notices white, outstretched wings similar to Cotaro and the other Woman and nods silently.

The emerald eyed woman smiles as she kneels down, so she and Riko is relatively the same height. She gestures over to where Cotaro and the other Angel is. "My friend and I would like to apologize for Cotaro-kun's behaviour. It's not your fault he ran away that time, he was just scared."

Her voice is soft and has a tone similar to her Mother when she talks to her. Riko swallows the lump that forms in her throat nervously, "I-I-I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have mentioned... a-anything." Riko responds quietly, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Especially to Cotaro-kun!"

There's another affectionate squeeze on her shoulder, and Riko stares at the woman in front of her. The woman smiles as she stands up to her full height-white wings spreading out wide behind her. "You're a _special_ girl, Riko-chan."

Riko loathes the word _special_.

When she hears it directed to her, all she remembers is the girls in her class talking about her behind her back, and the boys nagging her about something that she didn't even do. She clutches the ends of her skirt and clenches her teeth, a sudden scared expression crossing her face. She barely registers the confusion from the Angel in front of her.

If being _special_ would make her go through all of this...

A soft mumble of 'excuse me' passes her lips and with a quick bow, she turns on her heel and dashes away—barely hearing the confused 'Riko-chan?!' behind her.

When she returns home that day, she locks herself in her room and curls up in her bed as tears start to fall.

All she wants to be is a normal, ordinary girl.

* * *

Riko's brow furrows as she reads the long winded message her Mother sent her on her phone. It seemed like her Mother wanted her to pick up some groceries for the week, but the specific Supermarket she listed is in Numazu City...

From her busy home of Akihabara in Tokyo, her Family moved to Uchiura, a seaside village in the Shizuoka province due to her Father's work. It's about midway through the School Semester since she's moved in, and she's settled for the most part. Everyone at Uranohoshi High School is very nice-even though she's an outsider (it seems like everyone knew everyone in the school) they treat her well. She's a lot more comfortable than she has been since a certain incident in Elementary.

Perhaps it was due to moving to a place where no one knew about her past and couldn't make fun of her or bully her about something that they didn't even know about. She also hasn't seen anything... out of the ordinary since she's arrived at Uchiura.

Her head slightly shakes as memories come back to her-what was she even thinking about? She couldn't see anything, she wasn't _special_ , she wasn't-

"Riko-chan?"

A bright voice laced with concern pulls her out of her thoughts, and she nearly tumbles out of her seat. Light magenta eyes stare at her, blinking continuously. Riko gives a shaky smile, "S-Sorry Chika-chan, I just kind of spaced out for a second."

Her classmate, Takami Chika, is known quite well at Uranohoshi because of her Family's Ryokan. Riko herself admits that she's been there a few times, and the open air bath is quite luxurious-sometimes she wishes she could spend her entire day there. Chika was the first one to approach her when she first entered Uranohoshi, and she's gotten along with her since.

Chika's concern disappears as she leans backwards with a fake gasp. "Riko-chan spacing out? How unusual! Usually it's me that's spaced out, huh, You-chan?" Chika is grinning as she turns her attention to an ashen gray-haired girl who casually strolls to the two, hands behind her head as she exchanges a similar grin to Chika's.

Watanabe You is also a classmate of Riko's and one of Chika's closest friends. She has the same energetic flow that Chika does, but Riko can't help but feel like You has an air of mystery that surrounds her. Riko figures that maybe it is that part of You that stops Chika from going too overboard with her overzealous ideas. This part of You also makes her feel very dependable and Riko's happy that she's there to help her (whether it be with something in Uchiura or with trying to get Chika to understand when a line is being crossed).

"I think you sleep a lot more, Chika-chan." She replies with a wider grin. This retort and tease makes Chika pout and fold her arms, "You-chan that's mean!" At the faces that they made to each other, it's hard not to laugh-and all three of them are giggling quietly.

"What is the matter though, Riko-chan? You have been staring at your phone for a while." You finally asks after they're done poking fun at each other. Riko blinks as she quickly slips her phone away in her bag and lets out a nervous laugh. "M-My Mother asked me to run an errand for her in Numazu and..."

There's a hint of a blush across Riko's face as her sentence trails off at the end. Numerous of times that her Mother's sent her to Numazu, she's gotten lost and in a fit of panic and terror, she's messaged Chika and You often for help. You's nose wrinkles a little, "The city? Awe gross."

Chika laughs, "You-chan don't be like that. The city isn't that bad. It has lots of city-like things like..." Chika starts listing off a lot activities that Riko knows about since they were everyday occurrences in Akihabara. You on the other hand slaps Chika's shoulder, "Chika-chan stop, you're boring Riko-chan. She's from the city you know."

The orange-haired girl pauses and giggles apologetically, "Sorry Riko-chan! Sometimes I forget you're from Akihabara!" Riko shakes her head, "its fine, I should be going now though..." She stands up and grabs her book bag off to the side. You and Chika step back a little to give her space to move. They exchange quick farewells, You and Chika ensuring her that she will be fine and if she needs help they're always there to help.

Riko can't help but smile-everything is going fine since she's moved to Uchiura. She's seen nothing... different.

She's just a plain, ordinary girl, and she wants to keep it that way.

* * *

Being in Numazu reminds Riko of Tokyo and she can't help but feel a bit nostalgic over it. The tall buildings and the crowds of people going in and out... However, Numazu had its own touch to it, with the occasional ocean breeze that would brush past everyone.

She tightens her grasp on the handle of the grocery as a cool breeze passes by, taking in the smell of the ocean and salt. A small smile curls at her lips, it was nice.

Riko passes by a somewhat quieter street. A lot of different entertainment places are situated here and most likely would be bustling with life when night falls and people are off work and cram school. The bus station is at the end of the strip so Riko leisurely takes her time going down the sidewalk, enjoying the sights before she would go back to Uchiura.

It reminds her of Akihabara, and she feels a pang of homesickness. It's not unbearable, but she can't help but miss going to places like these with her friends. Maybe she'll ask Chika and You next time...

 _"By the name of Yohane, you will fall!"_

She pauses in front of an arcade as a booming voice flies from the entrance. Blinking, she glances over, seeing the arrays of UFO Catchers that fill the first floor. It's not as busy for the arcade, in fact, there seems to be only one patron (other than the Staff) that's on the first floor.

One patron with outstretched, white wings.

Her eyes widen and she can feel the colour drain from her face. Oh no, no, no, _no_...

The sounds from the UFO Catcher failing to get the prize and the same voice cursing the machine drags Riko out of her panic. She takes a couple of deep breaths, closing her eyes and counting silently to ten to clear her mind. She's an ordinary girl, the girl inside the arcade is an ordinary girl, just like herself...

She opens her eyes and her eyes is drawn to the white wings that is now fluttering in annoyance-with its owner cursing and waving her fist at the UFO machine. Riko bites the bottom of her lip, holding the soft sob that wants to come out.

Is she going to have to move again? If people find out she can see things like this, are they going to tease her? Is she-

"Another 500 yen! Another 500 yen!"

Her brow furrows as she watches the Angel chant while pulling out a 500 yen coin and depositing it into the machine. She tilts her head slightly, listening to the furious button pushing and the sounds of the UFO Catcher. This is an Angel right?

She watches the first three tries silently, the plush not falling out of the wedge that is stuck in between. Before the hook can fall for a fourth time...

"Um, excuse me..." Riko calls out as she steps closer to the machine. She recoils slightly back, barely missing the wings, as the Angel spins around abruptly-magenta eyes narrowing at her presence. "What is it?!"

Under her demeaning stare, Riko finds herself sweating slightly. It felt like she was being judged-and by an Angel, how coincidental.

"Y-You need to position the claw more to the left..." She points out. Riko herself hasn't played UFO Catchers a lot, but when she watched her Friends in Akiba play, they gave out a lot of tips and reasons on why they do things a certain way. It was a lot of interesting insight and helped her win a few stuffed toys herself.

The Angel eyes her cautiously, but turns around and positions her claw accordingly to how Riko said. One side of the claw pushes down on the head of the purple plush, shifting it further down. "Ah." Is all that escapes from the Angel's mouth and she's concentrating on the machine again, positioning the claw once more.

Entranced by the game as well, Riko watches the claw move around the machine. She silently observes the other as well-for an Angel, she dressed in a lot of black (if it wasn't for her white wings, she would actually look like a devil). She has long, blue hair with a neat bun to the side and if Riko would guess, she appears to be around the same age as her.

Riko can't help but wonder-is this person really an Angel? Or maybe it's cosplay? The wings seem way too realistic to be cosplay.

"Go, go, go!"

The enthusiastic shout from the Angel draws Riko's attention to the machine-she must have missed the fifth try as the purple plush is just on the cusp of falling. With the final attempt, the claw pushes the purple plush down all the way, and the plush falls into the prize chute. The machine chime with congratulations and the Angel is cheering just as loudly as she bends down to claim her prize.

Riko smiles as she congratulates the Angel as well. She watches her wings flap in bursts of excitement as she holds up the purple plush. The Angel's eyes finally makes contact with her, and a small blush is across her face when she realizes her embarrassing gestures before.

"I, uh... Thanks." She finally mutters and before Riko knew it, the purple plush is shoved into her arms. Riko fumbles with it, but stares at the Angel questioningly. "I-I-I was just trying to prove a point and I-I wouldn't have gotten it without your help..."

The words from the Angel is confusing Riko but all she can do is nod slowly. "B-Besides, I-I can win one on my own, I don't need a _human's_ help!"

Human?

Silence passes between the two of them, other than the loud poppy music that blast from the arcade's speakers. It takes a few seconds until the Angel realizes what she said. "I-I meant nothing by that!"

Before Riko can even say anything, the Angel runs straight out of the arcade. Riko stands there, gawking at her words. Did she just say...?

A groan slips from her lips, well, that kind of proved to her that she _wasn't_ an ordinary girl. She stares at the purple plush in her arms, examining it. She raises a brow as she stares at the small, bat-like wings that is sewn on the back. Why was an Angel trying to win a (cute) devil-like plush?

She just sighs, realizing that her Mother is expecting her soon and figures she should leave as well. She squeezes the small round body of the plush comfortingly though and smiles a bit.

Maybe today was a day that her pinch of luck came through.

Wait-what was she saying? She's just an ordinary girl. An ordinary girl that met another Angel after her encounter with the last one many years ago.

It... It wasn't so bad, right?


	3. 03

A/N: Once again, thank you very much for your kind reviews, follows, and favourites! I know a lot of people are super excited about the YohaRiko (I am too I'm not going to lie), so here we are with a new chapter and some more interactions between the two! I've realized I don't explicitly say in the summary that this is a YohaRiko story (oops), so uhh... here's hoping for FFN to give us Aqours characters to put in our stories soon?

Anyways, enough rambling from me. Thank you once again for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy!

(Also if you want to see more of this universe, berryargento is writing a series titled angel rain which is DiaMari centric on tumblr!)

* * *

 _A couple of weeks into Yoshiko's long-term mission on Earth, and nothing terribly exciting has happened. After an encounter with the human girl she has met before, a small problem arises._

* * *

 _You have one new message!_

A chime rings throughout the relatively silent room—coming from a gray phone that sits on a nearby desk. The gray phone blinks a green colour, indicating an unread message. Among the phone there is other belongings on the desk: an assortment of 100 and 500 yen coins, several of different IC cards used for different activities (transportation, food, entertainment), and a credit card for other expenses.

 _You have one new message!_

The phone chimes again. This time there is a small groan and some shuffling coming from the bed that follows.

It's been at least a couple weeks since Yoshiko has left Heaven and she's _bored_. It didn't take her very long to settle in (she's impressed by the accommodation space-although the clothes that she was left with, she had to... _spruce_ it up a little). At this time, however, she hasn't exactly been doing _much_.

Even though the reports talk about demon sightings and possible location points where demons lurk to take innocent people into their realm, she's seen _nothing_. She starts to think that maybe Dia sent her on this mission to get her away from Heaven so she would stop pranking (for a little bit). However, being the first mission where she has to stay on Earth for a long period of time, she has the opportunity to become a 'human'. Depending on their outward appearance, Angels would take on different roles in the human society. Older Angels would go find jobs and such while younger ones would attend school using connections and such to get them in.

Yoshiko didn't want any of that and being the rebel that she is, she decided to do her own thing. Her first week she indulged on activities that Humans do for fun. So far, her favourite is zipping through these buildings with lots of lights and noises called 'arcades'. She's taken a liking to the different games (rhythm and fighting games are a particular favourite) and sometimes it helps pass the time much faster.

She stops usually in the evening-when she sees groups of humans come by together, she's suddenly at a lost. There's a strange pang that resonates through her—something like the feeling of _loneliness_. She would snort and laugh-a "fallen" (she's not exactly fallen, but she humours herself sometimes) Angel like herself didn't need others.

 _You have one new message!_

 _You have one new message!_

Her phone chimes multiple times. Blankets is thrown off the bed as Yoshiko finally wakes up, her eyes reflecting a mixture of sleepiness and annoyance. It's the first time that her phone has made those noises-even though she admits that she doesn't carry it so often. Her wings outstretch themselves wide behind her-a morning routine all Angels follow to get rid of the cramps and strains that might have happened from staying in one place overnight.

She slowly gets up from her bed, swiping her phone off her desk and taps on the screen. She opens a messaging client that is primarily used to communicate with those that she needs to. Apparently it's also popular among Humans too, so the Angels have adapted it into their system.

She yawns and rubs the sleepiness from her eyes as she clicks a few buttons in the messaging client, seeing that she was added into some group conversation.

 _Tsushima Yoshiko was added to the group conversation_

 **Hanazura:** I think this is Yoshiko-chan's account?  
 **Ganbaruby:** It would make sense!  
 **Hanazura:** ... Do you think she's still sleeping?  
 **Ganbaruby:** A-A-Ah, a-are we going to wake her up? Oh no!  
 **Hanazura:** Oh no! Wait, shouldn't she be in school?!  
 **Hanazura:** Oi, Yoshiko-chan!

A couple of pictures (she thinks they're called stickers) follow the messages from 'Hanazura'. She feels her left eye twitch and starts to mash on the touch keyboard.

 **Tsushima Yoshiko:** IT'S YOHANE!  
 **Ganbaruby:** A-A-A-Ah W-W-We're sorry for waking you up Yoshi-Yohane-chan?  
 **Tsushima Yoshiko:** Who are you two anyway? What kind of names is Ganbaruby and Hanazura?!

There's a pause in the conversation and she taps her screen impatiently.

 **Hanazura:** ... You can't tell?  
 **Tsushima Yoshiko:** ...  
 **Ganbaruby:** I-It's R-Ruby and Maru-chan...  
 **Tsushima Yoshiko:** ... Oh.

She fiddles around with her settings while Ruby and Hanamaru start filling the chat with questions. She comes back to the chat, sending some sort of angry sticker to stop their questions.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Why do you two keep asking so many questions anyway?! That's Dia's job isn't it?  
 **Hanazura:** It's Yoshiko-chan's first long term mission on Earth right? We want to make sure you're fitting in and not homesick!

Yoshiko pauses at the term _homesick_. She wasn't lonely right? Besides, no one paid her any mind in Heaven anyway.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Me, missing up there? Sure I miss Dia's annoyed face but I'm fine down here!  
 **Ganbaruby:** *relief sigh* Mari-san and Onee-chan will be glad to hear!  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** I even won this

She pauses for a moment after she sent the message, realizing one critical error, she didn't actually keep that cute, devil plush (the name on the label said 'deviling'). She gave it to that human that helped her win it...

 **Hanazura:** Win? Yoshiko-chan shouldn't you be in school?  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** U-Urgh. Hanamaru you little bookworm, you're starting to sound like Dia! This is why she likes you a lot isn't it?!  
 **Hanazura:** ? Yoshiko-chan!  
 **Ganbaruby:** D-Dia-onee-chan really likes Maru-chan?

A feeling of dread passes Yoshiko, she forgot she is supposed to not mention Dia's admiration for Hanamaru (who might be the 'best' Angel out of the three of them). It might make Ruby feel inferior-or worst, _jealous_.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** ... I have to go get ready for the day, bye.

She hurriedly mutes and closes the chat and tosses her phone on the table among her other belongings. Her eyes trail to an empty space on the desk next to her things, and frowns slightly. That plush would have looked extremely cute there...

With a shake of her head to forget the events at the arcade the previous day, she moves around her current home to get ready to leave.

* * *

Her finger gently moves across the dark pavement-to the human eye, it just looks like normal, cement ground, but to her trained eye, she can see very faded out marks that are not of this world. "Looks like it hasn't been used in a while."

Angels can freely move to and from their world to the human realm. For demons, however, that is not quite the case. Their world is far below the human realm, so to get to it, they use portals. She has a map that details the locations of known portals that demons used in Numazu, but there is also locations that were considered 'non-official'. There is a numerous amount of reasons for this, but the most concerning for Angels is that a wild demon could be using it to drag humans or souls to the other side against their will.

Yoshiko stands from her spot and rubs her foot against the cement-seeing if the portal would activate. Nothing happens. She frowns, the portal is quite small-all the demons she's met would at least use something a bit bigger. And if they were going to drag a human down here, the only way they would do it is in pieces-but there would be no reason to drag human parts down.

She cranes her neck from side to side, wings beating in irritation. Demons were odd-Humans depicted Demons and Angels to have a relationship that is similar to 'good' and 'evil', but that wasn't always the case for them. Demons, while more chaotic in nature, are not inherently evil. They're the ones that take those souls that are deemed 'evil' and have them disciplined in their own world. Demons keep balance as much as Angels do but there will be those times that demonic creatures escape to the Human realm and cause havoc. Which is why she is here to prevent that.

Although, Yoshiko believes that Numazu City was kept 'clean' by demons. From her reports, Numazu hasn't been visited by any of her kind-the last time was for business that had nothing to do with humans. The details behind that mission was 'classified' and she was far too low in the hierarchy to even ask for information behind it. She wonders from time to time, what mission would be so tight that she couldn't even know about it?

Not sensing any demonic creature nearby, she stretches out. She notes the location for future reference in case a problem does arise and decides that it's a good time for lunch and maybe something fun after.

* * *

A loud slurp is heard as Yoshiko gets to the bottom of her cup and she's attempting to get every last drop of her drink. After her investigation and lunch, she decides to hang out along the entertainment strip once again, and she finds herself at her favourite arcade.

She's entranced by the stuffed animals that are on the first floor, waiting to be won. Her magenta eyes stare hard at the black, beady eyes that innocently stare at her back. Her wings flex back and forth, waiting like a panther ready to spring on her prey.

Just as she's about to put a 500 yen coin in the machine, a very familiar voice chimes in, and she nearly jumps.

"Oh, you're here again?"

She spins on her heels-magenta meeting curious amber. Her first instinct is to run, but she immediately recognizes the long, burgundy hair. It was the human girl from before. Yoshiko quickly glances between the UFO Catcher and the girl whose blinking at her.

"E-Er, yes!" Yoshiko's back is suddenly straighter, hands on her hips and chest puffed out to show her confidence. "The great Yohane needs new followers, after all!"

The girl raises an eyebrow, "Oh?" She pauses as she looks over Yoshiko's shoulder (Yoshiko's wings flap a little). She's silent for a moment, and cranes her head even more so to the side-it's as if she's trying to see over her wings...

"That bear is cute." She coos quietly with a small smile on her face. Yoshiko's eyes widen in response and she's not sure why she's sent into a sputtering mess. "I-It'll make a good follower!" She turns away sharply, her eyes narrowing at the bear that has been staring at her.

The machine spurs to life as a coin dropping in is heard and Yoshiko blinks when the presence of the human is much closer to her than it was a second ago. A bashful smile is on the girl's face, "Give me a few tries? It's payment for the day before."

She can only nod dumbly and watch the human girl play the machine.

* * *

Yoshiko presses against the solid surface of the bear's nose as her and the human girl walk out of the arcade. Night has fallen Numazu and the entertainment street is bustling with life as those who were looking for something to do at night are going up and down the strip.

The girl was kind enough to win the bear for her (Yoshiko still doesn't quite get how she's so good at it), and out of embarrassment, Yoshiko asked her to stay with her for a few more hours - as thanks ("T-This bear isn't enough payment for last time, you know!"). The girl was surprised, but didn't mind and they end up playing some of the other arcade games on the other floors.

Her wings flutter in happiness and it's hard for Yoshiko to hide the smile on her face at the cuteness from the bear.

"You will be a good follower." She whispers underneath her breath with a small smile. The girl giggles next to her, "You must really like your new friend."

Yoshiko pauses as she playfully narrows her eyes at the girl, "Of course! A great fallen Angel like myself needs the best followers!" She doesn't miss the way that the human's eyebrow arches, and how her eyes linger behind her. She feels self-conscious, and her wings fold behind, trying to hide itself away. The girl chuckles softly, "I see, I see."

Her eyes move away as she checks the time, "Ah, the bus will be coming soon." She pauses, straightening herself out next to Yoshiko and bowing slightly, "Thank you for the wonderful time today."

The Angel boldly grins, "Of course! I expect to face off against you again some time-" As she's about to go into a whole speech about their encounter, a shiver tingles down her spine and her wings suddenly stop moving.

 _It can't be._

Magenta eyes narrow, emotions being masked and her expression becomes unreadable as she turns her head sharply behind them. A shrill cry reaches above the sounds and noises that surround them and a small girl emerges from the crowds of people, crying for help.

A demonic bark follows and a dog-a hell hound as they're sometimes called, is right on her heels. They're known to be fearsome companions to demons, but some are wild and like to drag wandering spirits or even humans to the depths of Hell below. The girl's pleas for help falls deaf to the crowds of people, no one even noticing her.

Yoshiko knows she doesn't have a lot of time, she has to act _now_. She turns to the burgundy-haired girl next to her, the surprised look on the human's face going right over her head. "Sorry, I have to go." The words hastily spit out from her lips.

"W-W-Wait was that-"

She shoves the bear into the human's hands, her mind not quite comprehending the meaning behind her words. "Take care of Kuma-kun for me! I'll be back!"

* * *

Yoshiko curses her bad luck and timing.

Putting everything together, she should have figured that it would be some stupid demon dog that was using the off-charted portals to drag souls to the other side. Her brow furrows while her wings stay motionless as she dodges in and out of the crowds of people, slipping into the alleyway that she saw the hound and the small girl run into.

Out of all times for him to appear though- _how annoying_ _._

Out of sight from the crowds, her wings flap back and forth, giving her some forward momentum to hasten her running pace. She silently hopes that the spirit would be able to outrun the hound for a bit.

Magenta eyes narrow as the alleyway seems to continue forever. The path starts to feel familiar, and she realizes that they might be heading in the direction of where she was much earlier in the day.

Leading the spirit to its demise? What an _animal-like_ thing to do.

Her hand tightens into a fist as she's starting to grow impatient. Her wings also show her anxiety, as their flaps increase in fervor to the point where her feet is taken off the pavement and she starts to glide.

It's her duty to keep Numazu safe from demons like this, and she's going to show those above that she's truly capable of doing it.

She feels the presence of the hound and the spirit girl she was chasing earlier as the alleyway is (finally) coming to an end. On the last step just before the alleyway ends, she plants her foot firmly and launches herself forward, wings spreading out wide to allow her to stay in the air.

She immediately sees the hound backing the small, spirit girl into the portal that she had been investigating earlier and snaps into motion. Pointing her thumb upwards and her middle and index finger forward (in a gun-like motion as Humans would call it), she chants a quick, spell underneath her breath. A small, white spell circle forms at her finger tips and she aims carefully. A beam of light shoots forward, making the hound leap away and the small girl look up in terror.

Yoshiko lands in between the small girl and the hound, stopping the latter's advance. She stands up to her full height, cracking her knuckles and craning her neck side to side, challenging the demonic dog. "I have no idea if you're doing this to your own accord, but dragging small, innocent spirits is pretty lame."

Her voice is low and her eyes glare at the hound that's snarling at her, red eyes glaring right back at her, with teeth ready to snap. She leaps forward at the same time as the hound does, both clashing right in the middle. She immediately grabs the jaw and the top of its head, smacking it together and tossing him to the side. The hound shakes its head as she throws him, also tossing her to the side.

The Angel's wings quickly flap to slow down her descent, and as she touches the ground she chants another spell and forms a spear of light on her right hand, hurling it at the hound as quick as she can. The hound is quick on his paws, barely missing the spear of light.

Yoshiko's jaw tightens, and at the very brief pause, the hound turns its back towards her and rushes to the spirit girl that cowers in the corner. "Run!" She screams at the spirit as she chants lowly again, gripping onto the spear of light that forms and takes careful aim.

 _"Look out!"_

Just as she launches her spear, another voice fills the air and Yoshiko barely spins around as another demonic dog leaps from a building above, razor sharp teeth snapping at her. She calls upon her light magic to form another spear, but she's a fraction too slow, and brings up her forearm to cover the damage.

As fast as the teeth sinks into her skin, Yoshiko reciprocates with slamming the spear of light into the second hound's side, throwing him off of her with a low groan. Her arm screams in pain and she can feel the blood run down from the open wound, but her attention is focus on the spirit who was being chased.

The first hound is slightly deterred, going to its companion that Yoshiko hurt instead of chasing the spirit now. The spirit flies into the arms of the other that had shouted a warning to her earlier and Yoshiko meets a familiar, concerned amber gaze...

Her jaw nearly drops as she recognizes the long, burgundy hair and the amber eyes. Is that...?

"I-I'll take care of her, j-just please concentrate!"

The human's concern snaps Yoshiko out of her surprise, and she turns her attention to the demons that are growling and approaching her slowly. She shifts her useless arm closer to herself while calling upon her light magic with the other.

She will have to deal with that human girl-or so she thinks she's a human, in a little bit, these dogs need to be put down first.

* * *

Yoshiko's shoulders slump and her wings relax as the body of the demonic hounds dissipates in the air. Whomever let their dogs off of their leash or something sure trained to them to be vicious... She ponders on sending in a complaint to the Underworld, but she didn't see any mark or anything on the hounds about who they may have belonged to...

Her mind quickly deviates from the hounds to the human girl that she was just with earlier. Many questions flood her mind: Did the Human know all along that she was an Angel? Is she able to see everything that she can? _Is she even Human?_

Deciding to get some answers (or at least try), she moves over to where the small spirit girl is being comforted by the human girl. She kneels down so as the spirit pulls her head away from the human's shoulder, staring at Yoshiko questionably. Yoshiko isn't great at dealing with kids, and she rubs the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"A-Are you going to take me home?" The spirit asks quietly, sniffing a little. Yoshiko tries her best to smile as she gently rubs the top of the spirit's head with her hand, "I will get you to another place that's better than wandering here." She reassures, patting her head one last time before pulling her hand back. She looks up, noticing amber eyes lingering on her wounded arm.

Their eyes meet and their gazes break away-Yoshiko's not sure why she's so embarrassed. She hears the human say something to the girl and suddenly her injured arm is gently tugged away from herself. The Angel's head snaps back and she opens her mouth to protest. "Oi! What do you think you're do-"

"Let me take care of this."

The human's voice is hush but there's warmth and tenderness to it-something Yoshiko isn't used to hearing and she's squirming a little. A pink handkerchief is taken out and is wrapped around her arm to keep the wound from getting infected. She feels a gentle press against her arm after, silently saying her arm is bandaged.

Yoshiko pulls her arm away and finds the ground more fascinating as she mumbles her "thanks". Nothing is said for the next few minutes as they both stand up.

"Y-You're not normal are you?"

The question is quiet, and Yoshiko blinks, caught off-guard. She immediately gets defensive, her wings casually flapping back and forth, "Y-You're not either!"

"I-I am! I-I'm just a plain, ordinary girl..."

Her outburst throws Yoshiko off once more, and the Angel can't help but silently sigh-she forgets that humans could be stubborn (actually, anyone could be stubborn, Dia is a good example).

"F-Fine then!" Yoshiko crosses her arms as she stares at the burgundy-haired human in front of her. "Do you have a name, _ordinary girl_?" The human blinks, a confused look on her face at the question.

Yoshiko tries her best not to get angry, "Unless you want me to call you _ordinary girl_."

"O-Oh! Sakurauchi Riko."

She bobs her head slightly, taking in the name. A grin curls at the corner of her lips, "Riko, huh? Well, Riko, it looks like you'll be Yohane's next follower! After Kuma-kun of course."

The human-Riko, blinks in response, tilting her head a little. "Yohane...? That seems like an odd name..."

Yoshiko's wings snap in irritation, making Riko jump a little. The Angel glares at her, pulling out her ID card from her pocket and showing it to her. "It says Yohane right here! Yo-ha-ne!"

Riko's amber eyes squint, and she can't help but raise a finger and goes over the characters on Yoshiko's ID card. "Ah... it says Tsushima Yoshiko..."

White wings snap again and Yoshiko nearly throws her ID card at Riko. "It's Yohane! Can't you read it?!"

"T-T-The marker is smudged on there..."

"Haa?!"

She looks at her card incredulously, seeing the 'x' she marked when she first came to Earth almost gone, and the characters 'Yohane' smeared off to the side. Her jaw drops slightly and she starts to scramble for the marker that she's used to carry on her.

"I-I-I'll show you that it's supposed to be Yohane!"

"W-Wait, you can't change your name like that!"

* * *

From the alleyway that leads out to the human and Angel, two figures stand very still, watching their movements. Bright, lilac eyes glance over at her shorter companion next to her, "It seems like Heaven has sent an Angel down to watch over Numazu."

The shorter figure shrugs casually, as she places her folded arms down to her hips now. "As long as the Angel doesn't cause a commotion or trouble, then it's fine."

There's a slight pause, as both pairs of eyes are focused on a certain, burgundy-haired girl. "It seems like she's involving Riko, are you going to be able to put up with that?"

Lilac eyes beam in amusement as she gauges the reaction from the other. It's only for a brief second, but her observant eyes don't miss the irritated swish of a pointed tail before it disappears in plain sight. Her companion lets out a low chuckle as she throws her hands behind her head. She starts to leave, pausing to glance backwards at the Angel and Human. Azure eyes gleam with mischief and a small smirk lifts at the corner of her lips.

"That Angel is going to have to go through _me_ if she wants to get close to Riko-chan."

* * *

 _You have one new message!_

Yoshiko rolls over in her bed with a groan, groping for her phone that is lying next to her pillow. Magenta eyes slowly watch her swipe the phone screen and open the chat client-the indicated chat that is going off is the one with Ruby and Maru. Why did she unmute this chat...

 **Hanazura:** Ruby-chan, Ruby-chan, you have to see this!

 _Hanazura has sent a photo._

 **Hanazura:** Yoshiko-chan is using this really cute handkerchief to bandage her wound! Ganbaruby: Is this when you went to pick up that spirit, Maru-chan? Oh! That handkerchief is really cute! The pink is a huge contrast to Yoshiko-chan's dark clothing...

It takes Yoshiko a minute or so to comprehend their conversation. When she realizes what Hanamaru has done, the sleepiness disappears from her eyes and she starts to furiously mash on her keyboard.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** HANAMARU WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT PHOTO?! THE GREAT YOHANE DEMANDS IT TO BE GONE!  
 **Hanazura:** Oh... Do you mean to delete it?  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** YES?  
 **Hanazura:** ... I don't know how?

She pushes her phone away and digs her face into her pillow. Maru has never been that great with technology-it took _forever_ for her and Ruby to teach her how to use her phone properly. When she flips herself off her pillow to lie on her back, she brings her wrapped up arm up to her forehead, eyes drawn to the pink handkerchief that is still tied around it. A small smile creeps onto her face as she stares at the handkerchief.

It doesn't look that bad, maybe just a bit out of place for a (fallen) Angel like her.


	4. 04

A/N: Did anyone ask for any cute YohaRiko?

I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know there might have been some confusion in the last chapter, so I hope this one clears it up (or makes you more confused, haha).

As always, thank you for your support and please continue to enjoy angel fall!

(the last portion of this chapter takes place shortly after a certain part in berryargento's angel rain that's on tumblr! please check it out to see more of this universe and some DiaMari goodness)

* * *

Riko's ordinary life is becoming very not-so ordinary the more that she stays around Yoshiko. A confrontation with a demon makes Riko see different sides to the normally brash angel and she ends up becoming more curious about angels and demons.

* * *

"Uwaah, such a cute bear, Riko-chan!"

Chika's energetic voice rings throughout the front gate of Uranohoshi Girls School as she, Riko, and You leave the school for the day. A stuffed bear has its head sticking out of her bag-Riko not having enough space to fit him inside. Chika pokes the bear's ear for fun, making Riko slightly recoil him back. "It's not mine." She explains as Chika pouts just as she barely misses grabbing the bear. "I have to return him today."

"Oh? Does that mean you're going to Numazu again, Riko-chan?" You asks, blue eyes blinking curiously. Riko slowly nods, "I'm meeting the owner in Numazu."

"Heeeh? Numazu again... Riko-chan you've been going there a lot lately, haven't you?" Chika mentions as she folds her arms across her chest. "I wonder why..." Her thought trails off. Her expression brightens when an idea comes to her.

Her thoughtful face turns into a teasing smirk and she leans heavily over onto Riko, waggling her eyebrows, "Ne, Riko-chan, is this someone you're meeting... a _**bearfriend**_?"

Complete silence blankets the trio of second years. Riko slightly shakes and You rolls her eyes in response. Taking their silence as confusion, Chika continues on, "You know, since bearfriend could mean b-"

"Chika-chan!"

The ginger-haired girl laughs as she sprints past the gates, a red-faced Riko chasing closely behind and demanding her to get back. You sighs exasperatedly, "Chika-chan..." She mumbles with a dry chuckle.

Her azure eyes flicker slightly though as she recalls Riko's words— _another trip to Numazu_... A knowing smirk curls at the corner of her lips and she casually brings her hands behind her head, resting the back against it gently.

"What an _interesting_ development."

* * *

By the time Riko arrived at the all-you-can-eat sweets shop, she is at least five minutes late (she honestly blames Chika for that). She glances around, noticing that the Angel that she is meeting is not there. Maybe they were supposed to meet inside? She slips into the shop and weakly calls out, "Tsushima-san...?"

Scanning the area, she comes across a booth in the corner of the sweets shop. Over the walls of the booth, she can see the tips of white wings sticking out. Greeting the hostess who quickly, she slips to the corner of shop, "Tsushima-san, my apologies for being late, I was— "

Her apology comes to a halting stop—she's gaping at the _mess_ that is on the table.

The table is littered with several of plates, with already a growing pile of empty ones off to the side. Each plate has an assortment of cakes, pastries, and fruit—majority of them being chocolate, strawberry, or a mix of both. Riko is unsure if she should be surprised or disgusted at the amount of food on the table.

She watches magenta eyes move up from the feast on the table—finally noticing her presence, "Oh, Riko! You're late, you know! You can't keep the great, Yohane waiting all day!"

Riko instantly closes her jaw and slowly slides into the booth on the other side. She watches the blue-haired Angel silently, wondering _do Angels really eat ate this much?_

"Mmm, sweets on Earth are really the best."

Yoshiko is mumbling through a double chocolate cake. She catches Riko's stare and raises a brow at her, "You should eat too! We only have a limited amount of time!" She lectures as she indulges herself in her cake once again.

A noise finally escapes from Riko's lips—a small, awkward chuckle. The Angel's enthusiasm for sweets is unexpected. She places her bag on the ground, "Ah, I forgot, I have to give you back... Kuma-kun was it?" very carefully, she pulls out the small black bear that was sticking out of her bag the entire time. She sets it next to Yoshiko's pile of plates.

Yoshiko finishes her current slice of cake and pats the bear gently on the head. "Kuma-kun was in good hands, I had no doubts he would return in one piece."

Silence settles between them—Riko fidgeting a little in her seat while Yoshiko continues to eat. After cleaning her plate of fruit, Yoshiko leans back into the booth seat, her gaze flickering to Riko. She folds her arms across her chest, staring at the human intently. "I know there's much more to you meeting with me then to give me back Kuma-kun."

Riko blinks in surprise, scratching her cheek a little in embarrassment as her eyes trail to the side, absentmindedly staring at the counter of cakes and pastries. "I... just wanted to see you."

She admits quietly, not able to return her gaze to the Angel in front of her. "It has been... a long time since I've noticed..." Her voice is soft and she timidly gestures to the white wings that only she could see in the restaurant.

The Angel in front of her is silent, slowly nodding her head up and down, "I see." She soon returns to her feast on the table, "You're the first human I have ever head of being able to see... _us_." Her eyes dart back and forth suspiciously, making sure no one else hears.

"That makes you very-" Yoshiko pauses to chew her food. She soon remembers Riko's outburst from before when she called her _special_ and choosesher words carefully. She shakes her head, "Never mind that." The Angel forks more food into her mouth.

"I've already declared you as one of my followers, so you better live up to my expectation, Sakurauchi Riko!"

Riko nearly jumps at the clamorous remark, her amber eyes blinking in confusion. "I-I am? _Me_?" She wants to restate about how plain and ordinary she is, but the Angel cuts her off. "Of course! Now, go get some food so we can start on your training right away!"

"T-T- _Training_?" The burgundy-haired human squeaks. She's confused at the choice of the Angel's words-is she also going to be hunting _demons_ or whatnot too?! "I-I'm just a pla-"

One of Yoshiko's wings whips forward, flicking Riko across the forehead. It feels like the wind just brushed against her but Riko flinches a little nonetheless. She rubs her forehead tenderly, "T-Tsushima-san?"

Yoshiko stands up abruptly, preparing herself for more sweets. "We have a contract you know." She mutters, and when Yoshiko gently pushes up the black sleeve of her long, frilly blouse, Riko spots a familiar pink cloth.

She's still wearing the handkerchief that she gave her on that fateful day.

A small smile stretches on Riko's lips and she finally stands up as well. "I-I see then. I'll be in your care, Tsushima-san." She bows politely before they go to marvel at the new freshly pout out desserts.

"Ah, they have an angel food cake topped with fresh oranges from Uchiura."

" _ **No**_!"

Yoshiko immediately tugs on her arm to get her away from the cake that is set out. Riko blinks in confusion, not moving even though the Angel is insistent on getting as far away as possible. "B-But oranges are a staple in Uchiura. These are fresh-"

"No! Oranges are what _demons_ eat!"

" _E_ _eeee_ _h_?"

* * *

A breath of the cold, seaside breeze whips by, making Riko huddle under the collar of her cardigan. Even being around so many people in the entertainment district, it's still rather cold at night. She feels the person next to her shuffle a bit closer, and a white wing gently drapes itself around her shoulders.

"Is it cold?"

Yoshiko's normally brash and bold voice is unusually quiet and laced with concern, making Riko glance at her surprise. It's another side of the Angel that she has never seen and it makes her somewhat embarrassed. A soft blush coats her cheeks and she enjoys the wing that protects her from the wind. "I'm fine, thank you."

She watches the Angel curtly nod before her eyes drift towards the crowds of people, laughing, chatting, and doing all sorts of fun activities in the night. The magenta eyes narrow slightly, reflecting the seriousness of why they were out here later in the evening.

Riko slowly moves her own gaze to the crowds-trying to notice for anything abnormal.

They were searching for a... troublemaker. Yoshiko believes that it's a demon, but the possibility of this 'troublemaker' being a wry spirit, a human, or even an Angel is also possible. It first started at the arcade earlier that day, when the power suddenly went out (Yoshiko was fuming because she was _this close_ to beating Riko in a game).

After overhearing some of the staff talk among themselves, complaining about the problem just happening recently and randomly... Yoshiko decided that it could be beyond a normal, human problem. After observing different places along the entertainment strip and casually asking others-it turns out that it's not just the arcade but also other places along the strip.

Yoshiko tilts her head to the side with an irritated sigh. "I don't sense anything, but keep your eyes open, I think they would be able to spot something faster than mine." She murmurs to Riko as they continue to casually walk down the strip. Riko nods slightly in affirmation, her amber eyes soaking in the sights and being sure to observe the crowds carefully and slowly.

A sign for a ramen shop flickers slightly, and Riko pauses as someone with a black hood with cute little cat ears at the top passes by. She's about to move away, until she sees something flicker behind. She can barely see it from where they are, but she's sure it's a _pointed tail_.

"There."

Yoshiko's eyes follow where Riko gestures to, and she narrows her eyes. To her, it looks like a normal human brat, but maybe if she got closer she could sense something off. "I'll follow them, stay close." She nods to Riko before breaking off from the burgundy-haired human.

Riko huddles underneath her cardigan again as the wind blows by, watching the person she pointed out from faraway as Yoshiko pursued them. The hood is briefly knocked off, and Riko catches a glimpse of pointed horns.

Ah, a demon it looks like. They hid their horns underneath the hood and stayed close to the crowds to keep their tail away from prying eyes. Riko can only assume that is why Yoshiko could not see them as well as she could.

Pulling her cardigan closer to herself to cut out the biting wind, she also dives into the crowd following the Angel and the Demon. It's easy to follow-Yoshiko's white wings spread out wide above the crowd. Seeing the Angel disappear down an alleyway, Riko passes by the same alleyway and quickens her speed.

Spending time with Yoshiko, they both have a general layout of the district, so cornering the Demon will be easy.

* * *

"Don't."

Yoshiko's deep voice is the first thing Riko hears when she turns the corner of the alleyway, becoming a blockade for stopping the demon from escaping. Yoshiko is right behind the black-hooded demon, who's worriedly staring between the Angel and the Human. The Demon looks like it wants to leap away, but Yoshiko has a hand out.

"If you try to escape I will be force to stop you, and I can't guarantee you will live if the situation escalates."

Yoshiko's seriousness catches Riko slightly off-guard but she continues to watch the exchange silently, knowing that she could potentially mess anything up by saying something.

The Demon slowly slips their hood off, revealing short, shaggy black hair and two bull like horns sticking out. He snorts a little, fully facing the Angel. "What's an Angel doing in Numazu?"

Riko's head tilts very slightly at the statement-isn't Yoshiko the protector of Numazu? She glances over at Yoshiko, seeing her white wings flex back and forth, twitching slightly in irritation. Yoshiko doesn't lower her hand. "Keeping demons like _you_ in line."

The Demon's tail swishes back and forth, "Numazu is Demon's territory, there's no reason for Heaven to send an Angel here unless..." There is a slight pause and a cruel smirk lifts on the Demon's face. "... They sent _y_ _ou_ here to busy yourself?"

Her Amber eyes slowly move over to Yoshiko, watching the Angel's jaw lock and her open palm clench into a tight fist. Even though Yoshiko's face is hardened with conviction—there's something else festering in her eyes—doubt and worry. Riko takes a careful step forward, but Yoshiko's voice makes her stop.

"Numazu hasn't seen any abnormal activity until recently." The Angel manages to say evenly, "Me being here is to keep that normality since the Demons that overlook Numazu seem to be asleep or something."

Yoshiko matches the Demon with her own smirk. "It seems like to me that you're just seeking attention. But it looks like it's not enough if you've been doing this for a while." She lowers her hand now, placing her hands on her hips, and lets out a sigh.

"If it's not worth the Numazu Demon's time, then I suppose it's not worth _mine_."

Instantly, Riko can sense the tension in the air go dry. Her mind screams warning signs that it's not safe for her to be in the area. She bits her lip and digs her heel onto the spot—she wants to continue helping Yoshiko in any way she can so she can't back off now.

The Demon's auburn eyes narrow into slits—nails growing and sharpening. "Are you calling me a coward?" His voice is low, almost to the point of growling. Riko can immediately tell that something is happening to him—like he's transforming.

Yoshiko does not seemed to be phased by his growing, demonic appearance. "You heard me." She challenges, "You're not worth my time. Now, quit your little light show or—"

"Or what? You'll _kill_ me? Like how I'll kill..."

A small cry escapes Riko's lips as she's suddenly face to face with blood red eyes and sharp nails that hover threateningly above her neck. In one quick motion, Riko pushes herself backwards (while pushing the Demon away from her) as a golden spell circle appears below her and a thin, invisible wall forms in between her and the Demon.

The Demon attempts to retaliate, but in a flash of light from behind—a sharp, onyx coloured scythe blade is curls around his throat. He stands extremely still, seeing the dangerous white gleam as the blade tips slightly forward.

It's silent, save for Riko's gasping breath.

"... Touch my follower and I will send you through purgatory before leaving you at the clutches of your Lord. "

The Angel's threat lingers in the air. The Demon visibly swallows and slowly but surely, his hands raise up in surrender. When the scythe is slightly lowered, a mumble escapes from his mouth. He then starts to mutter something low to the Angel—in a language that Riko has never heard of in her entire life—before he takes off in the opposite direction. A sigh of relief falls out of Riko's mouth as the danger is finally over.

In a brilliant flash of light, the scythe disappears. Riko glances over at the Angel now, expecting an accomplished and prideful expression like normal. It's quite the opposite, though, magenta eyes reflecting a mix of sympathy and nostalgia. She finds herself troubled by the gaze—did the Demon say something to Yoshiko...?

"Riko."

She's pulled out of her thoughts, Yoshiko steps over to her with a hardened, yet concerned gaze now. "Let's go. The last bus is going to be coming soon." Her voice is low and quiet, much different from her serious and boisterous tone she used just a few minutes ago.

The burgundy-haired human can't help but take the difference in a bit of an awe. There is so much more to the Angel that is Tsushima Yoshiko and the world that she lives in that she wants to learn more. The small thought of that maybe, she wasn't all that _ordinary_ , plants in her mind.

She falls into step with the Angel, and nods as they leave for the bus station.

For now, she will hide that thought-not wanting to be reminded of the past.

...

On the building next to the small alleyway where dispute between the Angel and the Demon took place, away from prying human eyes, a crouched figure hides among the shadows. Azure eyes observe silently, a pointed tail swishing from behind and drawing shapes and lines on the rock hard pavement below. A small chuckle escapes their lips, as they stood up now, hands automatically moving behind their head.

"An Angel using a scythe-a weapon traditionally used by the Man of Death himself... And on a first name basis with Riko-chan, huh..."

The ashen grey-haired demon turns in the opposite direction of where Riko and Yoshiko is walking, smiling and humming a soft tune to herself.

What an _interesting_ development, _indeed_.

* * *

"You don't have to take the bus with me back to Uchiura, Tsushima-san, I'll be fine."

Riko tries to reassure the Angel next to her as they arrive at the bus station. She knows that the Angel probably stays somewhere in Numazu and it would be a huge hassle to leave the City to a small countryside neighborhood. The Angel lazily opens one eye to her, stretching her arms and wings above. "It's fine." She replies coolly, turning her gaze away from Riko, "I don't want any weirdos like that guy from before to bother you."

She senses the concern in her tone and giggles a little-Angels are very kind, especially this one that she's slowly getting to know. She wants to ask Yoshiko about it, but she's not sure how to bring it up—in their short time together, she's never brought about her Angel heritage or anything about demons...

"Bus will be here in thirty minutes."

Yoshiko's voice pulls Riko away from her thoughts and she quickly nods, thanking the Angel with a small smile. Yoshiko's eyes seem a bit surprise at her smile, and her gaze averts quickly from her. Riko blinks in confusion, but pushes the thought off to the side-maybe she's just tired. "Um..." She shuffles a bit awkwardly as they both wait quietly for the bus. "Thank you for today. I hope I wasn't too much of a burden."

"Huh?!" Riko sees the white wings snap back a little in surprise as Yoshiko looks at her in disbelief, "Are you calling yourself useless?"

"N-Not quite! I-I just... I'm just you know... a plain, ordinary girl..." She tries to explain but finds herself stumbling over her own words that are full of uncertainty. A sigh escapes Yoshiko's mouth as she rubs the back of her neck.

"You're not... useless. You're... Riko."

Shyly, Riko glances over at Yoshiko, somewhat confused at her statement. Yoshiko senses her confusion and hurriedly averts her gaze once more, "You're the first person that's seen, well, me, without me having to do anything dumb."

The explanation is a mere mumble, but Riko catches the hint of appreciation and warmth. She slowly smiles and shuffles just a bit closer to the Angel. "... Thank you, Tsushima-san."

"I-It's _**Yohane**_!"

She winces slightly as the voice loudly cracks in her ear. Yoshiko's cheeks puff out in anger but she tries to hide the pout on her face. Riko thinks it's kind of cute.

Riko tries to reason soon after, "B-But your actual name is Yoshiko..."

"Yo-ha-ne!"

Riko waves her hands in defense as Yoshiko glares daggers at her now. The Human tries to come up with something else to please the Angel. "Yohane-chan...? That sounds a bit weird though... " Her brow furrows in concentration.

Something finally hits her.

"How about Yocchan?"

Yoshiko tilts her head, "Y-Yocchan?" she weakly repeats.

"Yocchan... It takes what's similar to Yoshiko and Yohane... _Yocchan_." To emphasize her point, Riko draws out the 'yo' character in the air. There's a cross look on Yoshiko's face-as if she's trying to figure out if she likes the name or not.

"A nickname..." Yoshiko, mutters underneath her breath, slowly turning her head away. Riko, however, sees the rising blush that's starting from her neck and a wide smile uplifts on her face.

"F-F-Fine! O-Only you can call me that though! I will curse anyone else who would try!"

A laugh escapes Riko's lips-if Yoshiko and Chika knew each other, she would fear for the orange-haired girl's life because it was almost guarantee that Chika would try to use that nickname. Yoshiko's still somewhat pouting as they get on the bus now.

"B-But I'm going to come up with a nickname for you, Riko! It'll be part of our contract that's between me and you... I already have the physical offering, and the name will be like a spiritual one! And after that, you'll officially become my _little demon!_ "

"Little demon? But you're ..." Riko tilts her head in confusion while pointing feebly at Yoshiko's white wings, trying to remind her of what she actually is. The wings twitch a little in response, flapping back and forth, "That's beside the point! As of today, you'll be my servant... _Lily_!"

 _Lily?_

Noticing her silence, Yoshiko's staring at her, the pout not as apparent but still there. "No?"

Riko lets out a quiet giggle, she's never really received a nickname before-so it was kind of cute. Deciding to play along, she smiles and tips her head forward.

"Then I accept this contract, Yocchan."

* * *

When Riko finally arrives at home, she notices that all the lights are out, except for a few soft glows scattered throughout the house. She notices one pair of shoes missing and smiles sadly-her Father seems to be working overtime again. She peeks into the kitchen, spotting two plates wrapped up in plastic wrap.

Her Mother must have left some dinner for the both of them and went to bed. She takes one of the dishes and heats it up. While waiting, her phone vibrates in her bag and she fumbles to get it out-noticing a new message from her messaging client.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** You better have arrived safe, Lily!  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** If anyone bothered you, tell me now! I'll chase after them and curse them!  
 **Riko✿:** A-Ah, it's okay, Yocchan, no one bothered me. Uchiura is a safe place.  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Good. And did you just add that flower emoji to the end of your name?!

Riko blinks as she stares at her username, and laughs gently.

 **Riko✿:** No, Chika-chan, a friend from Uranohoshi, added it on a while back. She said my username was too plain and wanted to make it cuter.  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** I like it! It fits you, Lily! Perhaps I need to meet this Chika person...

She pauses at that message, thinking of the crazy conversation between the two that would spark. She realizes that Chika loves oranges and Yoshiko thinks that they're made by the Devil...

Maybe that'll be something she won't mention.

 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Oh yes, Lily. I'm downloading that game that we saw tons of ads for on the bus.  
 **Riko✿:** School Idol Festival?  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Yes! That one! You said it's like gathering servants, right?

Riko lets out a small laugh as she pulls her food out now and sets it down.

 **Riko✿:** N-Not exactly, Yocchan...  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Oh.  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Well, I'll be playing it anyway! Give me your code-thing!

Riko giggles again as she settles herself into her seat and starts her late-night meal while conversing with Yoshiko on the messaging application. She tries to explain SIF to Yoshiko, but Yoshiko keeps twisting the words to how she saw fit. Riko just goes along with it-whatever helped Yoshiko understand the game.

Just from their conversation, it's hard to even believe that Yoshiko is an Angel.

Speaking of Angel...

 _Ne, Yocchan. Is there maybe a place for me to learn more about..._

She pauses, if she asks her about Angels, would she get mad? Her brow furrows, maybe she could work around that...

 **Riko✿:** Ne, Yocchan. Is there a place for me to learn more about demons? It would help if I had some background knowledge or some general information.  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Huh? You want to learn more about demons? Hmm...  
 **CALL ME YOHANE!:** Yeah, there's this one place that I know. It's called _Demon's Den_.

* * *

Riko stares at the sign that dimly lights up the words 'Demon's Den'.

She finds herself in a more secluded area of Numazu, unsure if she really did come to the right place. She remembers the name Demon's Den but... there could be two right? She opens up her chat with Yocchan and checks for the address (for the umpteenth time that day).

The address and name match—she's arrived at the right place.

Taking a brief moment, she remembers bits and parts of her conversation with the blue-haired Angel about Demon's Den. It's a place where _everyone_ mingles... But would she be able to find any information here? Even when she gets the courage to open the door, she's still debating with herself internally.

Not watching where she's going, she bumps gently against someone's shoulder and nearly screams. Her amber eyes immediately fly around so she could apologize to the other, but she just sees the sway of long, black hair disappear out the door without saying a word. Minding her own business, Riko glances around the interior of 'Demon's Den' now.

It's a simple indoor café-half of the side set with several of tables and chairs with people talking among the smooth jazz music in the background, and the other side contains a library with more tables and chairs for patrons to read and enjoy themselves. In the center is the bar counter where drinks and baked goods is given out.

Riko has no idea where to start, should she ask a worker maybe?

"Riko?"

She hears a familiar voice call out to her and immediately turns. On the library side of Demon's Den, a blue-haired, young woman is seated at one of the tables with a stack of books, a teapot, and two teacups.

"K-Kanan-senpai?"

Matsuura Kanan is a senior at Uranohoshi Girls School. Riko met her through You and Chika-her two classmates grew up alongside Kanan in Uchiura. They often share stories with her about their beachside and diving adventures. Riko can't help but feel a bit envious at their closeness, but they've treated her like one of them and she's grateful for that.

At the wave and gesture from her blue-haired senior, Riko moves over to her table, taking a seat in front of her. Her amber eyes catch glimpse of the second teacup that is in front of her-the cup is mostly empty, just a drop or two left if anything. Did Kanan meet with someone just recently?

"Would you like some tea?"

Riko blinks, realizing that she spaced out and meets with Kanan's light lilac gaze, a warm smile playing on her lips that makes Riko feel a bit embarrassed. "I-I-I, um, didn't mean to..." Her words is muddled and could hardly be called a response. Kanan just laughs and stands up to get another pot from the bar counter in the middle of the cafe.

Taking this moment of respite to look around her surroundings, Riko's shoulder slump as her amber eyes meander around. It seems like a very cozy and quaint place, she wonders why Yocchan didn't want to come.

 _It's a place where everyone mingles, someone like me would stick out like a sore thumb._

Her brow furrows as she observes the people that are in the cafe-some reading in the darker corners, while others laugh and chat happily in the ambient light. Yocchan would be fine in here? Riko muses a little-Yocchan is a bit loud sometimes and loves to show off but she could fit in...

 _Even your eyes, Lily, might not be able to tell whose, who in that Den._

It occurs to her that everyone in here is human... or so she sees.

The empty teacup in front of her is taken away, and a new one with a new fresh brew of tea takes its place. Riko looks up to meet Kanan's friendly smile, bowing her head and mumbling her thanks quickly. She gingerly takes the tea, nurturing it in the palm of her hand as she waits for it to cool.

"This is the first time I've seen you out here, Riko. Is there any reason why?" Kanan asks as she sits back down, pouring tea into her own cup now. Riko continues to gently rub the smooth, porcelain surface of her glass. "I... I was looking for some reading material and a friend recommended me this place."

Riko chooses her words very carefully, not wanting to seem abnormal-especially to her senior. Kanan bobs her head lightly, "Give me a second." She tells her, before placing her cup on the table and stands up to grab a couple of books from the library behind her.

She watches silently, taking a sip here and there, as Kanan moves around the bookcases, stopping at a particular shelf. She pulls out two books one after the other and places them next to Riko as she takes a seat back down again.

"I think these two are an excellent read."

Riko gingerly touches the covers of the books, they were well-kept. She even thinks that they might be fairly new. On the spine of each book, printed in cursive English, is the words _angel_ _s_ and _demons_. This may be exactly what she was looking for, but how would Kanan know exactly...?

"Riko."

Riko's blinks as she looks up at Kanan, who has a somewhat mysterious smile on her face-something that Riko has never seen in her short time at Uranohoshi. "You're welcome to take your time to read those books. Just know that you can't take them out because they belong to this Cafe."

She's quick to nod and flips open the book titled _angel_ _s_. "You don't mind if I stay here then, Kanan-senpai?"

That mysterious expression stays on Kanan's face as she leans backwards, taking one of the books from her pile that's next to her-one that is a dark purple and has some writing that Riko's never seen in her life. "Of course not! I will be doing my own reading here as well." There's a pause for a moment, and Riko can't help but take a peak over at her senior.

"Just promise me we won't speak of our encounter today, okay?"

There's a wink, and Riko nearly drops her cup of tea. She quickly averts her eyes downwards as she flips to the first page of the book.

In the back of her mind, though, she ponders if-just at that brief second she looked at Kanan, if she saw two horns and slightly sharper teeth.


End file.
